Useful Information

About Busan, Korea

Korea, Your Destination for 2018

Korea, in Northeast Asia is a nation that boasts a fast growing economy and a lifestyle that brings together the old and the new. Despite their strong enthusiasm for modernization and globalization, Koreans still greatly value their 5,000 years of history and beautiful nature, making the country and attractive destination for business travelers and vacationers alike. Korea has proved its economic growth and international competence as a global leader to the world, hosting numerous international events including the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the G20 Seoul Summit and the Nuclear Security Summit.It is also home to many world-renowned artists and athletes, as world champion figure skater Yu-Na Kim and singer and rapper PSY who created an international sensation with ‘Gangnam Style’, ‘Hallyu’ also known as the ‘Korean Wave”, is Korean pop and traditional culture, growing its popularity overseas. Famous spots that appeared in Korean dramas and movies attract foreign visitors all year around. Korea’s long heritage and inspiring scenery impress all visitors with its uniqueness and charm. Korea is ready to welcome you to The 2018 KOAFEC(Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation) Conference, Busan, Korea.

Food

Korean food contains less meat than traditional Western or Chinese cuisine and features a wide variety of fermented foods assorted vegetable dishes and rice.As the culinary trend has shifted towards the healthy food, Korean food has begun gaining the attention of the world recently.Characterized with the usage of garlic, fresh vegetables and rice, the world began paying attention to Korea’s culinary culture.Also, you will be able to find some large traditional market in Seoul including Dongdaemun, Namdeamun Market and Gwangjang Market.

Nature

Korea has four distinct seasons and offers assorted natural beauty. Colorful flowers embroider the country in spring and mountains and seas are lively during summer. Autumn is decorated with fall foliage and winter sports are offered on white snow. Any season is the best season for our trip. If you wish to know the beautiful sceneries in each of the seasons in Korea, please visit here.

Culture & K-wave

Visitors will discover its rich natural beauty combined with a unique cultural and historical heritage. Korea’s Cultural Heritage conveys a genuine sentiment of simplicity of peacefulness. The historical background of the heritage is divers, encompassing the history of Korea from ancient times to the Joseon Dynasty. Hallyu, also known as Korean Wave, refers to the Korean pop culture phenomenon that is gaining great popularity around the world. It began with Korean dramas and movies garnering popularity in Asia, but in recent years, Korean pop music has become popular around the world. If in Korea, be sure to visit filming locations of fantastic cultural performances and experience diverse aspects of the Korean pop culture.

Busan, the inspiring venue for the 2018 KOAFEC Conference.

Busan is the second largest city in Korea with a population of 3.6 million, filled with endless excitement and pleasant surprises. The city is located in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. With its warm climate and beautiful environment, tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country and around the world flock to the cities many beaches to relax or to attend festivals every year.
Busan, Korea’s largest port city and one of the world’s five super ports, is a center of marine logistics in Northeast Asia, serving as a gateway opening the Eurasian continent to the world. It is growing into a city of finance, representing Asia through differentiated marine and ship finance after being designated as a financial hub by the Korean government in 2009. Now, the city if functioning well as an economic center of the country as intended.
With world class infrastructure, Busan is pushing forward the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and the cultural content industries. It has been successfully hosting a number of international exhibitions and conventions each year. Furthermore, the Busan International Film Festival(BIFF) and the development project of Busan Cinema Town have been helping Busan position itself as the top leader in the cultural content industry.
Busan is a city with an abundance of natural beauty, beloved by foreign and domestic tourists alike. The city is filled with festivals and excitement all year round. For more details, please visit: http://www.bto.or.kr

- Clothing: Light clothing including light and/or short pants, short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts, hats and sunglasses are essential items of this season, and applying sunscreen is also highly recommended

Taking a taxi in Korea is very convenient for international visitors, with an increasing number of taxi drivers being able to speak English. Taxis can be found at taxi stands in most busy city areas or hailed on the streets. There are also call taxis that can be requested by phone. However, call taxis start with a higher base fare than the taxis you flag down on the street. The base fare will vary by region, but taxis all use the same fare calculation of increase by time and distance traveled.While virtually all taxis operating in the Seoul area accept credit cards or transportation cards, it is possible that some taxis in the outlying or isolated regions may request cash only. Keep this in mind and make sure to have some cash (in Korean won) with you if you plan to use a cab in remote areas.

- Taxi Classifications

- Standard Taxi (mid-sized, sedan)

Standard taxis have different colors depending on their region; the standard taxis in Seoul are generally orange.The metropolitan area features many silver colored standard taxis.

- Deluxe Taxi

Called “model taxi” in Korean, deluxe taxis are black with a yellow sign on the top. Both sides of the taxi have the Deluxe Taxi sign.They offer slightly more passenger space and a higher standard of service than regular taxis.This means that the basic fare and the fare for additional distance are higher than regular taxis, but there is no late-night surcharge.Deluxe taxis can generally be found at stands located in front of hotels, stations, bus terminals, and major city streets.

- Taxi Fares (as of September 1, 2017)

Standard Taxi (mid-sized, sedan)

Deluxe Taxi

Base Fare

2,800 ~ 3,300 won

3,200 ~ 5,500 won

Region

Varies by Region

Varies by Region

Fare Increase

Calculated by distance Traveled

Calculated by distance Traveled

Details

20% surcharge applies during late-night (00:00-04:00) andwhen traveling out of the city(In Busan, 30% surcharge applies when traveling out of the city)